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Neal Adams writes,If you have seen the latest figures on the common rates on “Fair Page Rates” for our fellow professionals in the industry, you are probably as disappointed as I to know in your heart how hard comic book artists work to produce their comic books. There is nothing wrong with shopping for artists around the world, which Marvel is doing followed by DC and others, and shopping for cheaper talent. But there is only one world to go to. And just like everyone else, artists have to live, get married, pay rent and put their kids through school while they buy clothes cars and food. We should all, Publishers, Comic Book Stores and Creatives, all of us should be fighting to raise the Standards of our Industry and endeavor to pay people properly for their work.But we all also know that if the comic books do not sell to the audience then the downward trend cannot be easily stopped. We all, all of us must be mindful of any and all methodologies that can increase sales to a broader audience so that creatives get paid properly for their work. Publishers pay low rates but rent big offices. Publishers depend on movies and television to advertise their product but hardly spend money to advertise to the consumer.The Creatives, to protect themselves from the downward spiral, do their independent projects in hopes to sell them for tv and or film projects. Yet they rarely make smart deals and look for licensing and to otherwise market their product in other areas. This information sheet that you can find here is a Great First Step to informing others about the Standards of the Industry. Though incomplete, it gives a good overview of what’s going on. It will help Freelancers to protect themselves to some extent. It is just the beginning to inform and bring true assistance to Freelancers in the Industry.I don’t know all the answers but Information is the first step. As an overall principle “We want our Publishers to get rich but we want them to share it with us.” We all need to work together to stay informed and share ideas. I, for one, will help in any way whether you be Publisher, Comic Book Store, Distributor or Freelancer, to help improve our Industry and to put better rates into the hands of Freelancers based on the overall success of our product to more and more people. Book Publishers share information and though, we may seem scattered, we still communicate with each other and each can offer a helping hand to make this industry better.
My random comments:I have always appreciated the art of comics for 25 years and appreciated it more since I have tried to learn to draw and found out how hard it is to do.I think they get a bad rap as not artists because of the subject matter, but they are extremely talented . For perspective, google Oliver Coipel, Stuart Immonen, or Simone Bianchi's art and then think that they have to output a page/day to complete a monthly comic.Marc Silvestri commented that the talent pool is the deepest its ever been and I agree.It is my understanding that artists are still freelance making around $200/page and while watching a documentary on comics, they make the same ratio of pay to cover price of the comics to what it was when comics started.My personal feeling is comic artists are in fact artists and are underpaid.I'll be sure to talk about writers in my next random post.
"The format of a comic book, to me, is so perfect." Price said. "It’s portable, it’s a beautiful piece of art; a comic fills your field of vision while at the same time moving you through a story in a coherent yet artistic way. While we never know what tomorrow may bring, I certainly hope they are around forever."
Press Release The greatest heroes, the biggest creators and the can’t-miss comic titles of 2017 are coming to a big screen and a small screen near you. Today, Marvel is pleased to announce an ambitious spring advertising campaign that will see several key Marvel Comics releases advertised ahead of blockbuster films and airing on broadcast television channels with the key goal of exciting and mobilizing TV & Film fans into local comic book shops and retailers. First, Marvel Comics are coming to a theater near you! Beginning this weekend, keep your eyes peeled for special pre-trailer advertisements before some of 2017’s biggest releases! Including ads promoting Marvel’s highly-anticipated SECRET EMPIRE event ahead of select screenings of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2! Then, Marvel Comics come to the small screen with dedicated TV advertising and promotions. To be featured on ABC and other broadcast networks nationwide, fans can look forward to dedicated spots, on-air interviews, and more devoted towards Marvel’s biggest comic book launches this spring — SECRET EMPIRE and Marvel’s upcoming slate of X-MEN titles and more! This year, Marvel continues to bridge the worlds of graphic fiction with all new audiences and now, with extensive advertising activations, the House of Ideas is set to reach entirely new audiences in 2017 and invite them directly into local comic shops! The biggest characters and creators are waiting for you at your nearest comic retailer!
Great article and link! Thx for sharing! I'd also like to add that many artists end up having to sell their originals to get by. I had no idea BOOM was such a bad place to work. I don't think I'll support them anymore.
Where did you see that Boom is bad?
Marvel Entertainment has been on the forefront of merging the worlds of comics and music, and starting today, Marvel is proud to introduce MARVEL PLAYBACK. Debuting exclusively with Marvel.com, MARVEL PLAYBACK sits down with some of the biggest names in music as they present and showoff their love of the comic book industry, their local comic shops, and all things Marvel. Kicking off today, MARVEL PLAYBACK was offered the chance to speak with Pat Carney from The Black Keys and spoke with him about the synergy between music and comics, the timelessness of Marvel Comics, and who first introduced him to the world of comic books. “I got into comics when I was 10 years old,” said Carney. “I remember looking at the old comics that my dad had and they were all 12 cents. I started mowing lawns when I was in 4th grade just to be able to pay for comic books.”A companion video series to the Marvel Music Spotlight Series, MARVEL PLAYBACK, will continue to offers fans behind-the-scenes interviews available nowhere else that. Available only on Marvel.com, MARVEL PLAYBACK will be released in conjunction with future Marvel Music Spotlight Videos and will further emphasize the natural connectivity between music and comics through the personal stories and anecdotes from some of the biggest names in music and how Marvel comics have helped shaped their unique sound.
So while Diamond acknowledged the performance of the Walking Dead issue in its press release, it ranked Marvel's Star Wars: Darth Maul #1 as the top-seller for February.
To better understand the present business, a flashback is sometimes due:You are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginYou are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginYou are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
a color cover with black and white interior comic with 32 pages at 20,000 copies costs about 28 cents a book.you nor the publisher, decide the price of a comic, diamond distributors does.diamond also approves if the comic is to be accepted, not just the publisher.for each the first 4 harry potter movies, the ip holder got about 433,000.00 american dollars each.30 days and 30 nights movie adaption got 1 million american dollars.